


The Tale of Land and Sky

by Yosakazure



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AU, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Creation Myth, Destiny Island Trio (Kingdom Hearts), End of the World, Falling In Love, Gods and Goddesses, Kairi Ocean Goddess, M/M, Past Lives, Realm of Darkness, Riku Land King, Sora Sky God, World of Light, age of fairy tales, fairy tale, lovemaking, realm of sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:21:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yosakazure/pseuds/Yosakazure
Summary: Takes place somewhere sometime long ago. A King who enjoys stargazing falls in love with the sky in more ways than one. An unlikely friendship leads to a whirlwind of passion and a sacred promise to always remember and to one day be together forever.Hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Destiny Trio Friendship, Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), soriku - Relationship
Comments: 9
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

The Kingdom of Land was vast and its shores were many. King Riku has explored every inch and every corner of his fair kingdom, but none compared to one certain beach where land met ocean and sky and offered what was to him the most spectacular view one could behold. Whenever possible, the dark-haired king would venture out in the dead of night all alone to visit this cherished destination. He held a superstition that he must only visit without any torch or candlelight, for if the gods of the sky really intended for him to bask in the beauty of their craft, they would light the way for him. After all, the view is made most beautiful when its seemingly offered by celestial invitation. It would just be bad manners to attempt to squint at the stars if they were hiding behind cloud cover, so he believed. There was a path he always followed through the brush with his superstition and belief held tightly in his heart he would stop and watch the path. If it's the right night and the right moment, the moon's light will illuminate many white shells that speckle the path, guiding him to his destination. To otherwise attempt to traverse this path even by feeling could be disastrous, for that meant you were not granted permission by the goddess of the sea and she may attempt to wash you away with her waves of fury, or so the King believed and he hasn't been proven incorrect as of yet.

But what luck, the moon was full and high tonight, the sand path in the brush twinkling brightly with a boon of large shells to greet the King and gratefully bade a prayer of thanks to the ocean goddess for her invitation before proceeding to the blessed spot. With careful steps, he humbly made his way toward the sound of the ocean, a strangely sweet smell gracing his nostrils confirmed the tide was low, revealing the finest and whitest of sands that gleamed under the moon and glittered like starlight as if the beach were trying to compete with the actual stars in the heavens above.

This was it, these were all the signs that sent excited shivers down the King's spine. Tonight's sky was going to be dazzling, maybe even the greatest sight of the summer, and here it all was just for him. He closed his eyes and stretched his arms out, taking a moment to hear the music of the ocean's waves rush through his ears and the winds brush lightly over the bare skin of his arms and face. He hadn't looked directly at the stars, not yet. He wouldn't dare spoil it for himself. Such a feast for the eyes had to be enjoyed in the best way possible and what could make something better than built-up anticipation? He sighed deeply, enjoying the sweet, salty scent of the air as it gently chilled his skin. Once little goose pimples began to dot his skin, he decided this was the moment. He lowered his arms, tilted his head toward the sky, and finally opened his eyes to take in the most glorious of views truly meant for gods and kings.

Before his eyes were billions of stars and celestial bodies in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Everything felt so close and bright! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the waves the stillest he's ever seen them as if the ocean goddess herself had stopped to gaze in awe. As a result, the bright lights that dotted the sky reflected upon the water's surface, giving the illusion of an infinite stretch of stars on both land and sky! As he drank it all in, he began to feel tears of elation build up in his eyes but just when he didn't think it could get any better, streams of light shot across the horizon, leaving bright trails in their wake. A flock of shooting stars have also made an appearance! He gasped and wondered if he should dare make a wish, because what could possibly making him happier than this, he wondered? Instead he opted to count them and kneeled down to sit in the sand with his knees pulled up to himself. It was around the time he lost count that he concluded that even as a king, he wouldn't dare call himself worthy of such splendor that ignited such joy and wonder in his heart.

After several long minutes, the meteor shower slowed until it finally appeared to have ceased with perhaps a tiny burst every few moments as if some had straggled behind the rest of the pack. King Riku chuckled to himself at the idea of young stars falling behind the rest of their flock. The notion was almost adorable. He hummed a content noise to himself and decided to lie down on the soft sand with his fingers intertwined behind his head so he could gaze up directly and just lose himself in the never-ending sea of stars. On nights like this, the night sky didn't even remotely resemble the black, inky void that most might associate it with. No, nights like this it was almost like it was a second ocean of colors that stretched to infinity but instead of grains of sand it was littered with diamonds and jewels that the stars currently resembled. In between and all around the glittering orbs he could make out swirls of color as if somebody had used a large paintbrush and mixed bright watercolors with black ink. The longer he gazed, the more he swore he saw colors that he'd never before seen in his life. But of course, it would only make sense that the gods of the sky can paint with much more brilliant colors than they could ever hope to glean on land, Riku mused.

Maybe, he thought, they were too brilliant, at least for a mere man to observe. He had begun to doubt his sanity as he swore he saw something in the sky move...something very large. He tested sitting upright to be sure he hadn't fallen asleep and found he was still very much awake, keeping his eyes trained on the phenomenon above him, lest it disappear if he took his eyes away for even the briefest of moments. He stood and watched with bated breath as he noticed stars beginning to move and galaxies that moments ago were mere pin pricks of light to his eyes now looked as large and as colorful as fruit adorning a very tall tree only meters in the distance. Never before had he seen such defined celestial swirls and so close together at that! Finally, he could no longer keep his eyes opened and he allowed himself to blink away the sting in his eyes caused by the salty air. When he allowed himself to look for it again, he found it was even more prominent that ever...and defined! He could very clearly make out a black silhouette of a man backlit by the numerous stars behind it but from its torso down, it had a long, slender body like that of an eel and it was adorned with all of the celestial bodies, colors, and diamond-esque stars that he had previously observed. Was he in the presence of an actual sky god? The mysterious being appeared to be lazily drifting across the dark sky, neither swimming nor lounging, just floating without purpose.

The young king couldn't resist any more, despite himself he called out to the dazzling being. He half-expected his shout of greeting to go unheeded as for a moment the only sound he could hear was the echo of his voice carrying itself a short way before it too fell silent, besides that gentle rushing of the ocean, of course. The waves seemed to have picked up as if it too was as excited and curious as Riku was. He waited politely before attempting again and sure enough his patience was rewarded as the figure's black shadow seemed to roll over to look at the raven-haired man and for the first time, he could make out what appeared to be eyes. They appeared to be barely slit open, as if the being were just waking up or was about to fall asleep, but through the slits he could make out a brilliant blue color not unlike sapphires which was probably the most unusual color he had observed in the sky thus far tonight.

He idly thought that those were the kind of eyes he wouldn't mind losing himself in but mentally shook himself, deciding to instead slightly avert his eyes in case this being of the sky would be easily offended by his lingering gaze. It seemed forever before it finally spoke, and when it did, it again averted his expectations. Instead of a booming voice that he might've imagined that giants or gods might have, it sounded bubbly and light but with an edge of maturity. In fact, if Riku judged by only its voice alone, he would've guessed they might've been around the same age. "You look a little lonely down there," it observed, seemingly rolling onto its stomach to prop its chin on its palm as it stared down Riku with its ever-glowing eyes.

At being addressed in such a casual and almost candid manner, the king couldn't help but respond in kind before he could think to stop himself, "Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you."

The celestial being straightened up as if in shock, "What makes you say that?"

"You first!" Riku answered back. He wasn't shouting, and yet the other seemed to hear him clearly despite undoubtedly being very far away. He hoped he didn't come off as too cheeky, but he was really stalling to think of a good answer so that he won't offend this giant thing he knew nothing about that may or may not be capable of bringing his kingdom to ruin if it so wished.

An amused chuckle echoed through the sky that sounded as pleasant as a small chorus of bells, "Well, why else would you scream up a the sky unless you were lonely? Unless you really expected the stars to answer you back...then you must be crazy."

"But the stars DID answer back, so maybe we're both lonely," Riku pointed out.

The star-speckled man in the sky was quiet for a moment before suddenly bursting into genuine laughter this time and all the surrounding stars seem to vibrate as if they were just as tickled pink as he was. Though a little startled, Riku supposed it was safe to assume by now that this was a very jovial and friendly deity or whatever it was and let himself join in on the laughter. It took them a few moments to contain their mirth, after all this whole encounter was borderline absurd, until the space eel-man finally decided proper introductions were in order. "What do the people of Land call you, good sir?" it asked.

"Oh, please forgive me," Riku suddenly remembered his manners and though it seemed too little too late to be formal now he couldn't really help himself as he took to one knee and bowed his head in what he hoped conveyed a proper level of reverence, "They call me King Riku. I rule over Land and all of its creatures and inhabitants. May I humbly ask what do they call you as well, sir...sky...being?"

The voice in the sky snorted, a reaction that suprised Riku and he broke his kneel to look up in spite of himself with a quizzical look. It answered, "I'm not a sky bean, silly. My name is Sora, King of the Sky and all that is Stellar and Celestial."

Riku felt his jaw drop but he was too dumbfounded to get himself to close it. This wasn't just any sky deity, this was THE sky deity that ruled over all of them. Though they were both kings, his kingdom could only pale in comparison to that of the heavens. Though his Land was vast, as anybody with eyes could clearly see there were many worlds out there and all of them share the same sky, which truly meant his reach was endless. The more he thought about it, it really only could be described as a miracle that the King of the Skies had graced him with his appearance at all. With a kingdom that spanned into infinity, it would be no wonder if he never saw Sora again in his lifetime. As that thought raced through his mind, his excitement suddenly plummeted and he found he felt kind of sad about that realization.

The change in the king's demeanor wasn't lost on Sora. "Is something wrong?" he asked with gentle concern in his voice that was so soft as if he really meant it to be heard by Riku's ears alone who found the sentiment so endearing he thought his heart was going to burst.

"Please, don't mind me, your excellency. I apologize if I've offended you in any way. I guess what I mean to say is that I'm truly honored and blessed to be in your presence," he recovered and did his best to give an assuring smile before straightening up again.

"Please, let's not be formal with each other. After all, I think we both agreed just moments ago that we should be friends."

Riku gasped, butterflies suddenly appearing in his stomach, "Wait, we did? I mean, do you really want that?"

"Well of course!" the sky god giggled and swam into a lazy backflip through the sky, a few stars noticeably jumping out of the way to avoid him before returning to their original spots. "That is, if you still want to..." his voice suddenly sounded shy and his eyes looked down at Riku, who got to see his eyes fully open for the first time and just as he expected, they more blue and dazzling than any sapphire he had in the royal treasury and glowed with genuine sincerity not unlike that of a young child.

With eyes like that, how could Riku possibly say no? "Nothing would please me more than to call you my friend, Sora," he proclaimed with a wide smile and found that he truly meant it. "Why don't you come down here so we can get acquainted properly? We should celebrate our new friendship while the night is young!"

"Celebrate? How? What could possibly be more fun down there than up here? Maybe you should come visit me instead!" he replied cheekily.

"But Sora, there are lots of fun things to do down here!" Riku insisted.

"Nnnhh..." the sky king groaned a little uneasily. "I...I've never walked before, Riku. Are you sure I can't visit you from up here?"

"You could, but there are so many things that will be much more fun for both of us if you were down here with me. And besides, you don't have to worry. I promise I won't leave your side," Riku gently coaxed, now stretching his open palm up towards the sky in invitation.

"Hmm..." Sora was getting curious now, his eyes locked on Riku's inviting hand. "Like what?"

"You won't know until you get down here." Riku struggled to hold back a smirk. He could tell Sora was already beginning to yield to his curiosity and patiently kept his hand held out.

Sora considered for a moment how nice it might be to just reach down and take Riku's hand. He was almost sure it'd feel really nice and maybe even warm. He began to feel a fluttery sensation in his heart, something he wasn't sure he'd ever felt before. But it wasn't a bad feeling at all. In fact, he decided he didn't want to be scared. He was curious to see where this new feeling in his heart would lead him. He exhaled a small sigh for courage, causing a small breeze to whip Riku's hair into his eyes.

By the time the short breeze let up and Riku had parted the hair out of his face, Sora had already begun his descent from the sky. He had shrunk in scale considerably, but kept his tail's length which stayed attached to the sky as he used it to lower his upper body in front of Riku. Needless to say, it was a lot to take in all at once. First of all, Sora the King of the Sky was a spikey-haired brunette whose head was adorned with a crown of silver stars and his human half was tanned with a lovely sun-kissed glow that could even be seen in the moonlight. In fact, everything about him seemed to glow from his smile to his drop-dead gorgeous blue eyes. He had a lithe and lightly muscular frame, bare all the way down to his torso where his eel-half and his human-half were separated by a belt that matched his crown, in that it seemed to be woven from silver stardust. Though he wore little and had a strange shape, the way the moon and stars shined their praises down on him made him sparkle and glow in such an ethereal way that it could only be described as nothing but divine. That being said, the raven-haired king was also finding it hard not to laugh because the god of the skies was in fact, dangling upside down in front of him, gently grasping the hand that Riku had offered to him to keep from swaying back and forth from the ocean's breeze.

Sora could clearly see the mirth creeping up on Riku's face. "What's so funny?"

"Well, you're upside down..." Riku awkwardly pointed out, trying so hard now not to laugh because Sora was clearly starting to get offended.

"No, YOU'RE the one that's upside down," Sora insisted with his face turning into a pout.

Riku let out the smallest of snickers before composing himself with a deep breath and tried to coax Sora as sweetly as he could, "You're absolutely right. Unfortunately, I can't flip myself around to interact with you properly. So if you wouldn't mind, I'd really appreciate it if you'd do me one more favor and turn around for me. Please?"

Sora huffed but Riku did ask so nicely...in fact he could feel himself blushing a little. "Okay, I'll try. Just hold my hands for me while I figure this out. Or...maybe let go, but stay under me because you might have to catch me."

Riku was a little confused by the request but did as he asked and regretfully released his hand to stand under him instead as he continued to dangle at arm's reach above his head. "Wait, what do you mean catch you?" As he looked on, he found himself observing what could only be described as Sora's lower half unraveling! The entire length of his long, sleek, galaxy-bedazzled body transformed into sleek, galaxy-bedazzled silk before the king's very eyes. As the shimmering fabric unwound, it revealed Sora's human legs but stayed attached to Sora's belt like a long train. Said belt also now held up more black silk that was loosely wrapped around Sora's waist in an effort to preserve his dignity. Though the other end of Sora's galaxy train still attached to the sky, because his original form UNRAVELED, there was considerably much more length to him than before. Even though the Sky King did his best to clutch as much fabric as he could during the transformation, there was still too much slack and Riku barely had time to react to the transformation before gravity claimed Sora and brought him STRAIGHT DOWN on top of Riku.

Though the King of Land did have his arms open and ready to catch him the whole time, Sora was a lot heavier than he looked and all of that fabric didn't help either. He stumbled as he caught Sora bridal style but in the end just couldn't keep himself upright and ended up falling flat on his back with Sora on top, the both of them getting buried in the fabric made of stars. Sora panicked, and struggled to get on all fours to check on Riku, worried he might've killed new friend and apologizing profusely as he worked quickly to unbury him from under all the fabric. Once he uncovered him, he was greeted with laughter from Riku. "Oh thank all that is good, I thought I killed you!" Sora offered him a hand up but he himself was just as unsteady as a newborn lamb so just as soon as Riku was standing, Riku had to catch and support Sora.

Riku kept an arm wrapped around Sora and held him close so he could get his bearings and chuckled. "Don't worry. I think your interesting outfit broke our fall."

Sora found himself blushing for some reason, the fluttering in his heart getting more intense. "I wouldn't say it's an outfit, really. It's a part of me. I am the keeper of the fabric of time and space. As such it's a part of who I am."

Riku was half-way listening as he was enthralled by how good it felt to have Sora in his arms. They just seemed like the were meant to fit together. Also, he wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but the sky god was just short enough to be able to bury his face into his neck if he wanted to and just the idea made his heart pound. Wait, did he just say "fabric of time and space"? "Wait, so what you're saying is...you're not just the king of the sky...you ARE the sky...the living, breathing embodiment of THE SKY."

Sora blushed and suddenly felt the urge to hide, but gravity still wasn't being kind to him so he just instinctively hid his face in the crook of Riku's neck. "I'm sorry I tried to downplay it, I just didn't want you to be scared after you just offered to be my friend!" he whimpered into the taller man's neck. "Please don't be mad!"

He wondered if Sora could also read minds because before he could even react properly to the thing he JUST thought about the smaller man doing, Sora had begun spewing muffled apologies that he could barely make out before he could even get a word in. Riku's brain was caught so off-guard that his body kind of went into auto-pilot, his arms pulling Sora in for a full-on embrace while he tried his best to not moan from Sora's lips and hot breath brushing against the sensitive skin on his neck. "I'm not mad, I'm...mmm...I mean...goodness, Sora..." It took all the will-power he had to gently pull the smaller male back so he could look at him properly. "It's just...to be honest I'm stunned. Do you want to know what I really think, Sora?"

His lower lip trembled as he gazed up into Riku's beautiful teal eyes, having not seen him from this angle before. He really was more handsome up close. As the black fabric whipped around them from the ever-strengthening sea breeze, he noticed the waves getting louder and the scent of the air changing. The tide was rising which meant they only had mere hours before the sun would rise and bring in a new day, chasing away the light of the other stars that his body was comprised of. And who knew when he'd be able to come back after that? He had an endless domain to keep watch over and when one is that busy, the flow of time seems to rage forward mercilessly like a roaring river. He can only hope that maybe one day after this, that river might bring him back to Riku, his first and only really special friend. He choked back tears, a feeling he WAS familiar with, as he considered pausing time just this once to give him an extra moment to drink in the sight of Riku and engrain the memory of this meeting into his heart forever. But...he knew just that wouldn't be enough. His heart wanted more from tonight, but what was it? "What, Riku?"

He spoke in a low, soft voice that made Sora's knees buckle but the king held him steady, "I've always loved the sky, especially at night. I never thought I could love anything else more. Now that I've met you, I know I was completely right." He tilted his head down and Sora eagerly made himself as tall as possible to meet him halfway, their lips smashing together in an almost clumsy first kiss, but they refused to part their lips until they both got it right, tasting each other deeply and gaining more confidence until they were taking turns exploring each others mouths. Both wanted more and both struggled to be patient as they took turns dominating the kiss until they both got so greedy they forgot to breathe and were forced to separate to catch their breaths. Riku was first to recover because he at least TRIED to breathe as much as he could, but Sora had clearly forgotten in the most literal sense. As soon as Riku had any breath to spare, he was half-wheezing, half-laughing. He was so happy and giddy but also found it funny that OF COURSE the sky deity forgot to breathe like a normal person when it didn't involve making gusts of wind or whatever.

Sora misinterpreted the laughter as a mockery of his kissing and decided he would show Riku up by thrusting his full weight against the man until they were both back on the ground. They were surrounded by so much fabric that Riku couldn't even feel the sand shifting beneath him anymore and the large sheer fabric billowed so much in the wind that it was almost like they were cocooned in it. All around him, Riku could see galaxies for eons living in the fabric that whipped all around them. It was still dark enough outside that he couldn't tell where one bit of fabric ended or began, almost like he was actually laying in a bed of stars just like Sora was when he first noticed him lazily lounging in the sky. But when he thought about it, he literally WAS lying on a bed of stars, entangled in the limbs of his one true love, the sky. And now Sora was fully on top of him, kissing him hungrily and he responded with the same ferocity in kind.

The fluttering in Sora's heart had evolved into full-on heat that radiated through his entire being. He almost worried that this frail human form that he assumed wouldn't be able to contain everything that he was feeling. He couldn't slow down, though. They didn't have much time and he wasn't going to waste another second. With every kiss he attempted to press himself further and further into Riku, not really knowing what his body wanted, only that it felt so good to be so close. Their combined heat felt delicious and every little shared friction or movement between them left a trail of fire on his flesh that burned wonderfully. It sent him into a frenzy...he wanted more skin to skin contact. No, he NEEDED it. All it took was a few tugs on Riku's clothes for the king to understand and they both fumbled to undress him as quickly as possible. Only once he was completely bared beneath him did Sora halt his movements. Now THIS was a sight he wanted to burn into his retinas forever. The king's pale skin all over his tight, muscular body gleamed beautifully in the moonlight. The beads of sweat adorning his brow glinted like a delicate crown of diamonds. Riku deserves a wonderful crown, Sora decided, there was only one crown in the entire universe that deserved to rest on this wonderful man's head and he knew just the one. But for now Sora had gone back to trying to drown himself in Riku, pressing their bodies together in fruitless desperation as he peppered him all over with nibbles and kisses. He wanted to taste every bit of him and he wanted Riku to taste him too. He wanted to give Riku anything he could ever want!

Riku was just as busy and fervent in response to Sora's passionate onslaught. For every nibble, Riku was nipping him back. As Sora gently dug his nails into him, he firmly gripped his hair. It all felt so animalistic but in the best way possible. It didn't matter if Sora was the living embodiment of the sky or that Riku was the king of all land. All that mattered was that they both achieve what they desperately craved from each other. For every rough grab there were affectionate whispers in between. For every tasty bite there was a deep tender kiss. These frenzied exchanges have made them both rock hard by now, the evidence of their desire mingling with the sweat on their bodies and lubing up their frantic ministrations. At one point, Riku was sure he was going to burst any minute and reached between them to grip both their members in his hand to begin rubbing the both of them.

Sora saw sparks behind his eyelids and stopped whatever he was doing immediately as he felt Riku touch him. This was wonderful, it was all so so good, but he wanted to give Riku more. He straightened up and rested his hands on Riku's chest. As he panted to catch his breath, he struggled to form sentences "I...I want to be yours, Riku. I...I love you...so much. I want all of you...every bit of you and I want to give you everything...anything..."

Riku gazed up at him with eyes clouded over in heat, drinking in the sight of Sora's face flushed with passion and nearly lost control as the sky god practically begged for the king to take him. He really couldn't have dreamed of a more beautiful creature to be the living embodiment of the sky. He was going to make it his mission to worship every last bit of Sora in these final moments of their passion. He's going to make him feel so loved and make him so addicted to he won't ever want to return to the sky!

He turned them over and pushed up the fabric that was barely concealing Sora's waist anymore and knelt his head down to gently taste and suck on the object of his affections while reaching one hand up to slip his index finger past the brunette's panting lips and into his mouth. He delicately rubbed his tongue with the tip of his finger, coaxing him to suck. The deity found it a little difficult to suckle Riku's intruding finger as he was busy gasping at what Riku's mouth was doing to him, but he did the best he could while still moaning languidly. Riku figured if Sora could still moan, he could take more fingers and slid another finger into his mouth, though a little less gently than before. Sora choked for the barest fraction of a second but found he really enjoyed having the large digits in his mouth to suck on while Riku pleasured him. By the time the third finger entered his mouth his was moaning and sucking them so sloppily that they were dripping with his saliva.

Riku meanwhile was alternating between taking Sora halfway into his mouth and slowly pulling off to gently suck on the head, immensely enjoying the taste of the fluids that leaked forth. What could he say, really, he tasted DIVINE. As much as he enjoyed sucking on him, Sora was being so erotic just by sucking on his FINGERS that it took all he had to keep from losing it. In fact, he was practically groaning in agony around Sora's cock as he retrieved his fingers and began inserting them one by one into Sora's waiting hole.

The next few moments were a little quieter between them as Riku calmly and gently stretched Sora who was either mewling and yelping quietly in discomfort as the king patiently got him to open up. Finally Sora gave the okay and a sigh of relief escaped both of them. They both giggled and exchanged a few sweet kisses and exchanged more sweet nothings before Riku asked if he was ready, getting the go ahead, and then began pushing himself inside. He strained as he knelt between Sora's legs, desperately trying to go slow as he gripped and supported the thighs wrapped around his waist. But about halfway in, Sora felt him graze a spot that had him cry out and bucked into Riku and forced him in deeper. After that, there was no going back!

Between them it was a symphony of moaning and panting and even a growl here and there as Riku bucked into his new love and as Sora continually begged for more! They switched positions so that Riku could pound Sora from behind more easily and keep up with his demands. Riku was more than happy to oblige but when he heard that shrill warning from Sora that he was almost there, he pulled out and re-entered him sideways, propping one leg over his shoulder so he could continue to drill him while furiously pumping Sora with his free hand. He wanted to watch Sora finish, he wanted to watch his beautiful, sweet face contort with his climax.

Sora couldn't get enough of Riku. He felt so huge and he enjoyed feeling so full and complete and he wanted him to go faster and pound him harder and just feel EVERYTHING. He wanted to feel the slow, the fast, the shallow thrusts, the deep thrusts, he wanted ALL OF IT and Riku didn't disappoint in any aspect. He was so close so many times but he was using sheer willpower to hold on just so he could have a few more seconds to feel it all. He couldn't fight nature, though, because now every strike to his prostate was FORCING hot liquid pleasure to spurt out of him. He warned Riku just as he thought he couldn't hold on for another second, every fiber of his being felt like it was getting shot with lightning so that he didn't even notice the position change and with a couple of tugs and another hard thrust he came HARD and tried to scream but his voice didn't seem to work. He could only moan and pant and cry for Riku as tears of ecstasy streamed down his face and as his insides formed a vice grip around his cock, while his own release took hold and spurt for what felt like an eternity.

As Sora came and his insides clamped around Riku, he came next with a roar and thrust one more time as hard and deep as he could, emptying everything he had into the smaller man. As he continued to climax he bent forward, shoving himself deeper so he could force his mouth onto Sora's and kiss him so hard that it was like he was sucking the air out of him. He gripped and jerked him off, milking him for every little bit as he thrust his tongue into his mouth and emptied every last drop of his seed into Sora's struggling and gaping hole. Even after consuming as much of Sora as he possibly could during his climax, it still felt like a long time before the both of them were completely sated. Long after they finished emptying themselves in and on each other they stayed connected top and bottom and kissed and kissed until Riku just didn't have the energy to hold himself upright anymore. With a groan he pulled away and collapsed to Sora's side and pulled him into a cuddle. His mind was drowning in its post-coital glow but he held on just enough to remember to keep a firm grip on Sora so that he wouldn't go away. Not that Sora could protest anyway, as he had passed out as soon as he felt Riku's body wrap around him.

. . .

In the short amount of time they had before dawn, the two of them gathered themselves and went for a walk along the beach. Even in his long life, Sora knew that taking Riku's hand had to be one of if not THE best decisions he's ever made. They couldn't walk too far before they started making their way back. After all, Sora's train was still attached to the sky and any further might draw attention from the nearby town. By the time they got back to the spot where they originated from, the tide had completely taken over the small, perfect section of beach that Riku was so fond of. Dawn was only minutes away.

"Stay with me, Sora. Please." Riku begged as he buried his face into Sora's spiky locks.

"If I stay anywhere for too long, it could mean the end of days somewhere else. I wish I could explain or give you a reason that you might understand but even if I had a lifetime to explain it wouldn't be enough to scratch the surface. All I can do is beg you to understand that I'm leaving not because I want to, but because I have to. As a king, you know how that goes, right?" Sora tried to be firm but even as he tried to sound pragmatic, tears were still leaking down both sides of his cheeks.

Riku did straighten up, however. It was true, he did know. He also knew that begging and pleading would just cause Sora unnecessary pain and that's the last thing he wanted. He wanted nothing more than to make him smile for now on. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's going to hurt to say good-bye but I'll always treasure what we shared together. I'll keep it locked in my heart forever. And then someday, even if it's not in this lifetime, we'll see each other again and we'll remember and relive it all over again. Even if it means saying good-bye a thousand times, I'll call for you a thousand times more until we can truly live together...however long that will take."

"Damnit, Riku." Sora smiled broadly through his tears. "I'm the sky, remember? I'll always be with you. Oh, that reminds me!" He released Riku's hands that he had been clutching to remove his crown of stars from his head. He then quickly wiped his eyes and cleared his throat, "Ahem. Sir Riku, King of the Land, would you please kneel before me?"

He was a little caught off-guard for about the billionth time tonight but he kneeled without question. "Please allow me to bestow this gift upon you...something to remember me by. Wear it and no matter what lifetime, I'll be able to find you and watch over you. Even if you and I aren't on the same plane, with this gift I vow to always be with you and look after you until that blessed day where we can be together always for you are and forever will be my best friend and my one true love. Do you accept?"

"It'd be my greatest honor," Riku answered, bowing his head and closing his eyes for Sora to gently place it on him. It felt heavy and it still had some of Sora's warmth. But before he could even raise his head and thank him, the weight was gone. He instinctively reached up to grope at his head and felt nothing. He then raised his head and looked around, afraid that the wind might've blown Sora's precious gift away, but neither Sora or the crown was anywhere to be seen.

"Wait, Sora...SORA!!!" he called out, turning toward the ocean that seemed to roar in response to see with dismay that the sun had begun to rise. Every last bit of darkness was extinguished and there was only one star left to be seen. He glanced up at the bright blue sky and couldn't help but smile. After all, he was looking up at Sora. Another harsh gust of wind blew his hair into his face and he brushed it away only to realize it was no longer black but a brilliant silver...like star light. 

A crown of silver and a sacred promise. With these two things, Riku was sure he and Sora will be together again soon.


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had the day finally come where Riku and Sora could see each other again?

It has been foretold eons ago that once a man discovered he was a god, man would want to become god, and the age of fairy tales would end. Though Riku ruled over the Kingdom of Land, he considered himself as mortal as any of the Land's inhabitants. He has lived for as long as the Land had existed but his subjects never suspected anything for this was back when the King loved man, all of whom he considered family, and unknowingly had been using his divine influence to ensure all were happy. None ever suffered under his rule, or even under the passage of time for that matter. For as long as all continued to have love and empathy, the light in their hearts kept man from aging which made their King very happy.

As the centuries continued forward, man grew tired of their long lives and yearned for something else. They grew to envy the gods and goddesses of the world. Some even began to doubt their existence at all. Those who believed could no longer contain their curiosity about how their world worked and those who didn't believe began to feel hopelessness as they felt there may be nothing else to strive for in their lives. The two sides began to stir discourse and decided they should turn to the wisdom of their beloved king. However King Riku was always busy, for his kingdom was so vast. Search parties were made to follow him so they can finally ask for the answers they so desperately wanted.

And then one fateful night, on the diamond sands of Riku's favorite beach, the high moon blessed the king with its inviting glow. A meteor shower flew over the land, a sight that hadn't been witnessed in centuries! Such splendor caught the attention of the now bigger population. Everybody feared to go outside except for one man who braved to go out and make sure nobody else was outside, should the stars actually fall to the earth. Sure enough, he did discover one other man that night. He caught sight of a young man on the shore and called out to him, amazed at the gall of this person who feared no falling sky and instead dared to stand directly under it and look straight up as if in awe. The rush of the ocean's waves kept the man's voice from being heard, so he ran, but he couldn't navigate the dense brush and the man was still about a hundred feet away.

On the beach, Riku had happy tears streaming down his cheeks and had his hands clasped over his heart as nostalgia overwhelmed him. He prayed with every fiber of his being that these were all signs that his true love was near. More and more stars fell and parted in the sky, glittering like torches forming a path lined with a green aurora through the heavens. A gust of wind suddenly swept over the shore and the sounds of billowing fabric could be heard all around him. Could it really be...?

A voice rang like a bell through the sky, "RIKU!" and a familiar figure descended from above, draped in galactic fabric and quickly gathering speed as all sense of ceremony was shoved aside in favor of simply DROPPING onto his lover and wrapping his arms around him as Riku surprisingly managed to catch him and they both fell back into the sand.

"You're...you're really here, Sora. It's been too long!" Riku managed to choke out through his happy tears and buried his face into Sora.

"I promised I would, didn't I?" Sora giggled, though he too had dropped his silly casual attitude after like two seconds and was crying too. He was squeezing so hard it was amazing Riku's ribs didn't break.

"I've missed you so much. I knew you were up there but I still felt..."

"Lonely?" Sora pulled away to give him a wet smile before giving him a long soft kiss. "I could hear you talking to me every night. I always had eyes on you but my voice could never reach you where I was so I too felt lonely."

"Hmm...I dunno. I think you got off easy. I wish I could've heard your voice every now and then," Riku smirked, running a hand through Sora's spikey locks and then resting his palm against his smooth cheek.

Sora cooed at the soft touch and turned his face slightly to lay sweet little kisses on Riku's palm and fingertips. "But have you noticed how there are always stars now wherever you go? I know you have. You kept telling me how beautiful they were," Sora smirked back.

The silver-haired king felt so much warmth in his chest. He hadn't really stopped to think that Sora had been arranging the stars for his sake. "I love you so much..."

"Riku..." Sora's face heated up instantly, his cheek feeling red hot against Riku's palm and the king relished the thought of how many more times he was going to try and make the sky god make that face again tonight. "I love you, too. I just hope...it'll all be worth the wait for you...because it certainly is for me."

. . .

Meanwhile at the far edge of the brush, the local villager had witnessed the whole event. A boy fell from the sky and landed on somebody with silver hair that shined like starlight. But there was only one man in all the land with such unique hair...had a creature just attacked their beloved king!? Scrounging up his courage, he braved the brush, but just as he got close he tripped face first and became completely submerged in the thicket. He lifted his head, now close enough to see that the two of them were clearly intimate. Not only that, the boy's clothes seemed ATTACHED to the sky, in fact the intricate fabric looked like it was made of the sky itself. He heard words of rearranging stars and other fantastical things. Who was this boy? No...he was no boy. He watched the two exchange deeper kisses and begin to moan quietly while they eagerly began moving their hands to explore each other's bodies. As the brunette moaned in delight, the stars twinkled brighter than ever and a few straggling meteors began to fall, disappearing into the dark horizon. The villager could feel it now, he was in the presence of a god! Said god had sat upright to straddle Riku's lap, gently minstrating the other with his hips while he arched back and moaned up at the heavens. This stirred something in the unfortunate witness who could only stare in awe despite himself, but not because of what was transpiring exactly, but because Sora's skin was giving off an ethereal glow akin to that of soft candle light. What would such a divine creature want with their king? Gods have never communicated with mortals, let alone...this!

. . .

Riku had his eyes blissfully shut, but he forced them open so he could drink in the sight of his love and he gasped as he noticed how much his face had lit up...in the most literal sense! "You're glowing, Sora!"

The brunette slowed his grinding and blushed super hard, "It's because I'm so in love..."

Riku giggled, it was so sweet but for real, "No I mean you're actually glowing."

Sora stopped altogether and tilted his head slightly as if mildly annoyed while he looked down at Riku, "Yeah...so? You're glowing, too."

"Wait, what?"

. . .

The hidden villager gasped! Now the king was giving off a soft white glow...or maybe he was always glowing and just couldn't see because of how intertwined they were. His brow furrowed and he felt a strange, foreign feeling stir in his heart. But of course, a god would want nothing to do with a mortal man, king or not. This could only mean that their beloved monarch was a god as well! It was the only thing that made sense! But why wouldn't his majesty have said anything? Was it some kind of secret? Did he not trust and love his subjects? As these questions spiraled through his mind, the weird feeling in his chest got worse. He felt his blood begin to boil in his veins as he heart began to race. He struggled to make sense of everything but also felt conflicted with his own feelings as he also wondered why this bothered him so much. He felt something like...betrayal? Injustice? Had he ALWAYS been a deity or did he achieve his god-hood by other means? Does that mean any one of them could potentially become more than what they are? Maybe...maybe their king knew this and didn't WANT that for his people...maybe he wanted everybody to stay the way they are forever and never knowing that they can be something greater with new purpose! This was anger he was feeling...envy...and soon he would feel bloodlust.

Now he felt disgusted at what he was witnessing. Two gods fraternizing on the beach, no doubt mocking the poor mortals with their mere presence. He felt his hand reach for the long hunting knife on his belt. Maybe to become a god and explore the great beyond at long last...you had to kill a god. Fueled by his rage-induced determination he let out a war cry as he hurled himself out of the brush and came running at the couple on the beach with his long knife raised and prepared to fight!

. . .

Sora and Riku were obviously startled and Sora was so frightened he instinctly jumped off of Riku and floated up into the air as if he turned gravity off for himself. Panicked at being seen by another mortal (and in such a state, too) he spun and spun until the fabric of his being begun wrapping around himself.

Riku quickly stood up and reacted much differently from Sora. Rather than scared he was rather indignant, quickly zipping his trousers up and fixing his coat so that he was no longer letting it all hang out, as it were. He didn't want to believe that one of his beloved subjects would actually attack him, so rather he raised his hands up and tried talking to him. "What ails you, my good man? Why did you charge at us?" But the man seemed beyond reason already and had begun thrusting his knife at Riku who deftly dodged it but he was becoming more and more frightened. "What's wrong? It's me, your king! Don't you recognize me?"

The villager just kept swiping more furiously, even catching some of the fabric on Riku's sleeve. "You're no king of mine! You're a good-for-nothing god like the rest of them, yet you call yourself a man! If that's what you say, then that means a man can be a god! So...why can't it be me!?" He went to charge at Riku again, intending to bowl him over with his body.

"You're speaking nonsense! Get a hold of yourself! You don't know what you're talking about!" Riku pleaded, dodging again and nearly falling over, but a conveniently raised pile of sand was high enough that he could catch his balance with one hand and avoid the downward slash the crazed man tried to inflict on him. Meanwhile, the roar of the ocean suddenly became deafening and a giant wave came crashing down on the both of them, as if the goddess of the sea was trying to wipe out the villager. Riku struggled in the water for a minute but quickly found he had tumbled on dry land again and the other man had been knocked about 10 feet away, bleeding as he had scraped along a rough patch of sand and cut up some of his face which only served to infuriate him more. The angrier he got, the more cold he felt his heart become and any affection he felt for his king had begun to disappear entirely. There would be no happiness in his heart until he achieved his new goal and he would stop at nothing to do it! He didn't even bother wiping the blood from his eyes before running straight for the water-logged king again and storm clouds began gathering in the sky, quickly bringing threatening bolts of lightning with them.

Riku didn't know what to do. He had never felt so much hate be directed at him before. Now he could tell the gods and goddessess of the elements were getting angry and even if they were trying to protect him, his first instinct was still to look out for his subject's safety. In his moment of indecision, the man was now right up in his face and he caught both his wrists just in time in his own hands before the blade met with his face. "Please, I'm begging you, cease this before something terrible happens!"

"Only once I get what I want!" the assailant spat back, his arms trembling as he struggled to bring the knife down to Riku's face. "It should only be fitting that you, my king, the first of us to truly live should be the first to die!"

"NOOOO!" a scream pierced their ears that seemed to make the sky crackle and the earth shake as a blinding beam of light shot through the sky and tackled the murderous man, sending him barreling though the sand. To Riku it looked like a shooting star had actually SHOT at the man just before the sky crackled with huge bursts lightning and rumbled with deafening thunder, temporarily blinding the king with its bright flashes. The atmosphere suddenly felt ice cold and yet hot at the same time as he swore he could feel the heat of the lightning that continued to tear up the sky. Once he gathered himself and recovered from the shock he looked over to where the beam of light dragged the man and immediately felt his fear intensify as he saw that it was indeed Sora who came to Riku's rescue, but something was very different. Sora was no longer bound to the sky and was only clothed in a small scrap of fabric that was held up around his waist by the very same braided stardust belt he wore when Riku first met him. Sora shed what tied him to the safety of the endless void above in order to save Riku but in his haste he seemed to have upset some sort of balance because now it felt like the entire cosmos was falling apart around them as the winds and bizzare weather grew increasingly more violent, strange and eerie colors were now swirling in the sky where there was once stardust, and the moon seemed to be getting dimmer and dimmer. The ocean roared and even seemed to weep as salt water splashed all around them, getting carried along the wind as the waves grew and shrank inconsistently.

Riku rushed to get to Sora who was now struggling to stave off the man he thought he knocked into next week. The villager at this point seemed to resemble something more demonic than human as his eyes began to glow an unsettling yellow color and his halfway scorched body began emenating a dark aura that was slowly devouring the rest of him. It appeared that the darkness in a heart that had never once felt hate was too much for his body to contain and now it sought to take him over completely, anything to keep him going so that he may claim what he seeked. Sora was incredibly weakened and just like before when he first walked on land, he was still very unfamiliar with gravity and didn't stand a chance against this dark being.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!! SORA, RUN!!" Riku screamed frantically, dodging huge tree limbs and other debris that have been picked up by the collossal winds as he ran as fast as he could. Time seemed to be moving so slow for him but fast for them, or something! Even though it felt like everything was falling apart around him, he kept his eyes on Sora, sprinting the short distance all the while screaming for him to get away. What seemed like a short distance only moments ago now seemed very far away as he watched them struggle. He urged his legs to pump through the heavy wet sand and continued to scream at the dark creature even as his lungs burned. But then Sora fell on his back and time seemed to slow to a crawl as he looked on in horror. The possessed villager took the opening and had brought his knife down with all of his might. Riku was almost within arm's reach just as the villager threw his whole body down on the god of the sky and plunged the knife straight through his heart. Riku's own screams sounded far away even to him as he finally reached the two of them and grabbed the murderer by the throat and lifted him off the ground and into the air, clutching his neck in his fist until he could feel the struggling piece of filth's larynxe pop and crunch sickeningly in his grip. It flailed it's limbs and struggled until it suffocated and perished, going forever still in the king's ironclad grip. Before Riku even lowered his arm, however, the once-human meat sack disappeared in a puff of purple and black fog and vanished into thin air.

"Wh...wha...oh gods...what...what is happening? Why is this happening?" Riku's voice wavered, his throat raw from screaming. This all had to be a bad dream. He turned slowly begging anything that would listen for mercy...please let this be an awful dream...please don't let Sora be dead...He squeezed his eyes shut and knelt down next to where the man lie and opened them to view the lifeless body of his true love. Blood had already ceased pouring from his chest and the now pouring rain had washed it away, leaving Riku to just gaze into his still open sapphire eyes that sparkled no longer. He felt increasingly numb as the cold engulfed him and he seemed to have checked out mentally as he robotically moved to pull the knife out of Sora's chest and set it aside to scoop the brunette in his arms bridal style and hold him close. As the man's lifeless head rested against Riku's chest, he let out a long wail of despair that could be heard and felt in the hearts of all the Land's inhabitants.

Feeling terribly alone and broken he cradled his love against his body as he slowly marched through the thick of the storm to climb up the nearest cliff that he could find that overlooked the sea. During the seemingly endless walk, the chaos seemed to slowly quiet down. The sky still rumbled and it was lightly raining, but the tides have gone back to normal and it didn't feel like the universe was imploding on itself...at least for now.

Once he found a suitable cliff, he sat down with Sora cradled in his lap and gently shut his eyes so he appeared to be sleeping before taking off his trenchcoat and draping it over him like a blanket. He didn't know what to do now. All he knew was that he just wanted to hold Sora forever. Maybe...if he waited long enough...Sora will come back like he did before...

. . .

In the months that followed, the Land slowly begun to fall into chaos. The sun didn't seem to go up or down anymore. It was always daytime now. The ocean's levels rose higher and higher, submerging a fair number of beach towns within weeks with no sign of stopping. The discourse of man continued to get worse and worse and more had begun to feel abandoned because there had been no sign of their king since the night ceased. Soon the darkness grew and spread so much amongst the adults that it seemed only children were the only ones left with light in their hearts. The king who remained on the cliffside could feel himself weakening with every passing day as he felt all the love and empathy leave his people. With discourse came call for new leadership. Knowledge and misinformation spread and polluted so many hearts that they began to crave the light that they had lost and convinced themselves that the gods were behind all of their misfortune, that the gods were jealous of them and decided to put them in their place. They all witnessed the beam of light fall and wanted it for themselves. The desire for light darkened their hearts and even darkened the sky. Wars broke out as a permanent nightfall now plagued the Land and soon only the children were left to remember how happy everybody used to be and how bright their world once was.

Riku felt love leave the Land he loved and felt the pain everybody had begun to inflict on each other and the earth he toiled over. The only hope for the future he had was in the light still present in the hearts of the children. But how long could they countinue to live in a world being swallowed by darkness? How long until their hearts went out, too? In his despair, Land began to crack and crumble all around him. Chasms wrenched and tore apart the earth. The black inky void of space that no longer had any stars now felt like an enemy without Sora in the sky to watch over them. It took on a life of its own and sought to wipe everything out. Just as all seemed lost and that he was about to be swallowed up too, Riku finally looked down at the ocean whose waves and sea spray have been a constant companion to him. "Goddess...have we lost? Is there really hope for a future without a sky to watch over us? Without love? Is...there hope that I can ever see him again? You've been here this whole time..." he now had to shout as deafening cracks can be heard all around him as the Land continued to be torn apart. "I FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW SOMETHING! Could it be...DO YOU STILL HAVE HOPE? If there is a way...PLEASE TELL ME! I'LL DO ANYTHING! Everything that matters has been taken from me, if I could get it back, I swear to protect it! It will never be taken from me again!"

The ocean seemed to respond to the King's cries and swelled to answer his call. A giant wave rose high above the cliffs, above Riku and he was sure that it was about to engulf him, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the impact, when it suddenly stopped. He cautiously opened his eyes to find a red-haired maiden before him, a shade that rivaled that of the darkest pink coral, standing on a pedestal of ocean water that still had fish swimming around in it. "Goddess...?" Riku gasped. "Is it really you?"

She gave a pitying smile and reached to brush a hand over Riku's cheek. It felt like being grazed with warm water. "Goddess...forgive me. He was trying to protect me."

She shook her head slowly and knelt down to run a hand through Sora's hair, who was still being cradled in Riku's arms, and visibly shook as tears streamed down her face. "H-he meant a lot to you too, didn't he? It's strange...I feel like the three of could've been really good friends."

She looked up at him and tilted her head with a smile, as if Riku was missing out on some sort of joke. "Or...could it be we ARE friends?"

She smiled so wide her eyes crinkled closed, her form shaking as if she were giggling, and Riku swore he could almost hear it. It made him smile too, despite himself. "I guess...I was the only one who didn't know. Forgive me. But maybe I did know...after all I had always been drawn to the both of you even if I didn't know why."

She nodded and knelt to be on an even level with him and smiled at him gently, as if asking what Riku wanted to do next. "Goddess, please, is there anything that can be done? I feel my end is near...what happens to us after this? Will I go to where Sora is? Will we ever be together again?"

She looked down and wrung her hands together, looking very torn. She looked up again to meet her oceanic eyes with Riku's desperate teal ones and then finally nodded in affirmation, clenching her fists now with a sense of determination. She suddenly stood, which startled the king a little. She looked like she just had an idea. She stood tall with her arms stretched over her head and appeared to be speaking an enchantment as suddenly rows and rows of waves appeared on the horizon, growing many stories tall. Riku gasped and looked up to the goddess, "W-why would a tsunami help?? Goddess, please, I don't understand!"

She looked down at Riku almost apologetically but gave another firm nod with her eyes clearly focused. "I...I trust you. But before anything else happens...may I know your name, since we're friends?"

The goddess seemed to pause everything and pulled more water from the ocean so she could get as close as she could to Riku, and tilted her head to speak into Riku's ear who strained to listen. Her voice sounded like the whispers and whistles you would hear while sitting underneath a dock where the wind swooshed through wooden poles and the sea slammed against the rocks, so soft and almost musical. "Kai...Kairi?"

She pulled away and nodded, giving him a sweet peck on the forehead as if saying farewell and did the same for Sora before straightening up and the roars of the ocean could be heard again as she raised her arms to the sky. "Thank you, Kairi," his lips turned up into one last smile and she smiled back before throwing her arms down. Riku closed his eyes and held Sora tight. The water seemed to fall down all at once and engulfed him and everything entirely. He held steadfastly onto Sora who suddenly felt warm in his grip.

The silver-haired king dared to open his eyes one last time, expecting to see nothing but pitch black and his own bubbles escaping him but in his blurry vision he saw a ball of light exit the body he had been protecting this whole time. It went upwards and Riku's gaze followed it. Comforted by what he saw, he closed his eyes again and allowed permanent sleep to take over. The water was already so high above his head but at the surface...he could see the barest flickers of light.

Race you there, Sora.

\- - -

Many lifetimes have passed since the age of fairy tales had ended. The Land had been engulfed by darkness after the wars ended, the only survivors being children and they were scattered to the winds, seemingly doomed to wander the new Dark Realm until the end. But just as all hope seemed lost, the ocean's mercy that had overtaken Riku had covered everything, and the children swam up through it to escape. When they broke the surface, the light in their hearts created new worlds that resembled the homes that they remembered and lost. Life began to thrive again, but everybody remained separated, completely unaware of each other's existence, the only evidence being that there were now stars in the sky again, and this became known as the realm of light.

On one star in particular, a world in the new realm of light made of sunny beaches and warm oceans, had caught the attention of two hearts. They woke and left the waters known as the realm of sleep between the realm of darkness and light and decided to make it their new home. One arrived first and belonged to a silver-haired boy named Riku. The other got distracted by something and fell a little behind, but a year later it too settled and was now a spikey-haired brunette named Sora. The two thrived and grew up together, staying the closest of friends and were practically inseparable. Their bond was so precious that Riku felt driven to protect it at all costs and even gave Sora silver crown charm as a symbol of his vow to always protect him.

But of course, a third heart didn't want to be left behind either, and she joined the realm of light a year right after Sora's heart did. It took a little longer after that, but Land, Sky, and Sea were finally reunited on the shores of Destiny Islands. They of course knew nothing of their previous origins but their hearts knew of their connection and that seemed to be more than enough.

But sometimes when Riku and Sora were alone, usually at their favorite spot and leaning against a paopu tree, they both would have long moments where they would catch each other's gaze and stare wordlessly. Time would stop, their hearts would race, and both would experience a warm feeling that neither could yet describe until it was almost too much and they would both smile and laugh it off. Neither were quite sure where these these strangely nostalgic and intense feelings came from, but as they both watched the sun set and the stars come out, they would remember their promise and took comfort in knowing that they'll have all the time they needed to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was torn on keeping the original story open-ended to keep with the short story fairy tale thing that I was going for. But that temptation to write how Sora and Riku ended up where they are today kept nagging me. Then last night I had another dream that spoke of the prophecy I mentioned in this chapter. It showed the world falling apart just like it's been explained in the KH lore that everything used to be one giant world before it fell to darkness and new worlds were born from the hearts of children, IE when the age of fairy tales ended. Halfway through writing this chapter, I fell asleep again and forgot how the rest of the dream went, but I know Sora died protecting Riku from something so that meant the sky had essentially been killed. Without the sky, the ocean became violent in its own throes of dying, and the land suffered for it, further fueling the chaos now caused by the people who essentially craved the light they thought the gods had, not even realizing that they already had it and were slowly losing it as they lost themselves to their greed. Riku's love for his people was also my way of explaining why it seemed that only young people were fighting in these wars and why characters like the princesses and such never seem to age. I then filled in the gaps from my dream with the idea that living forever with everything you could ever want can eventually lead to a desire to seek out something else and thus essentially slip into madness while searching for that unknown something. Without the light of the land's people, the land was dying which meant Riku was dying. Kairi basically gave both her and Riku a mercy killing and released all of their hearts from their god forms while simultaneously creating the waters that are between the realms of light and darkness. The realm of darkness was what their world used to be and the light of the children who escaped created a new realm of light, now with the waters of the realm of sleep sandwiched in between. The three of their hearts slept there until they eventually woke and left to be reborn in the new realm of light. At least that's what I think the dream was going for. The dream seemed to tie it all together nicely and I hope I pulled it off okay despite not remembering the middle. heh heh ^^;
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I had a dream where Riku with black hair was a king who looked to the skies and fell in love with a sky deity who resembles a half eel half human but his eel half is painted with galaxies and stars. After convincing him to be human for the night, the two consummate their love but Sora must leave at dawn. He leaves Riku his crown which then turns his hair silver and then promises that he'll always be there to watch over him and that they will meet again. I originally meant to write it as a cute short story to put my own spin on the previous life fan theories going around and I even posted the original concept on twitter before deciding to sit down and write the whole thing. But as I continued writing it took on a life of its own and became a one-shot romantic fic of mythological proportions. What I originally intended to describe in one or two lines turned into a full-fledged lemon at the end. It just didn't seem fair to glance over that part. :)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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